Back in the mid-1980s, it was the halls of Carmel Catholic High School where Ed roamed and where the foundation would be set, eventually leading him down the path as a security officer and a career in civil service. Like his counterpart, Retired Libertyville Fire Chief Rich Carani, Roncone is a proud 1984 Carmel alumnus.
The son of Italian immigrants, he fondly remembers the powerful feeling of a tight-knit community here, not to mention the daily bus rides he would take to school from a pick-up location near College of Lake County.
“One of my biggest memories from my Carmel days was how the teachers help guide their students along the way, empowering them to not only succeed but also to fail while being able to learn from their mistakes,” he says. “They also taught us how to give back to one another and our community. I understand now that the goal they were trying to achieve was to make all of us productive students and productive human beings.
Helping set the tone back then, Roncone noted how his teachers at Carmel allowed him and his fellow Corsairs to take everything they experienced during their high school years to the next level after graduation. With his classmates making up a large melting pot from across Lake County, Ed was forced to make new friends and come together as one big community.
Whether it was joining a new club, the theater and arts program, or an athletic team, it was important to Ed that new friendships evolved each step of the way. It’s that dynamic of one big Carmel family which was most influential.
“Carmel afforded me the opportunity to kind of come together in a community and broaden my horizons and perspective to see where life could take me,” he says. “Although I didn’t venture far from Lake County, I certainly ventured in many different areas, as has my career.”
Regarding parents who may be considering Carmel, Roncone didn’t hesitate when it came to what advice he would dole out.
“Parents are very savvy nowadays, and they do their research, but if their son or daughter is motivated and wants to take his/her education to the next level, then Carmel certainly affords them that opportunity. Carmel teaches the important ability not to fear taking that next step and to take new adventures. The school allows every student to chart their course, and the staff and faculty support you at every step.”